Cheap Fix
by moirag
Summary: Reti! It was an accident. I swear!
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: **I don't own these characters. Square Enix does.  
**Other:** This is the only story I'm concentraiting on.

* * *

**Cheap Fix : Chapter One**

Tifa was walking home from a bar in Midgar where she as now working. It was 2 am, but people still were on the streets. Homeless children, homeless adults, adults going out for drinks. The dirty city was alive, even in the middle of the night. She made a turn down an ally, where two figures stood. One was hunched over on the ground, making grueling, gulping and yelping noises. The other one stood, his hands in his pockets.

Tifa didn't think much of it, until the one hunched over called her, his large torso having spasms as he had his hands on the ground, sitting his knees.

"H--Help me..." He moaned, before vomiting god knows what on the ground. Tifa raised an eyebrow, and walked into the direction of the two. He larger man threw up again. Tifa suddenly recognized the two men standing under the single street lamp in the shady ally way.

Reno and Rude.

"Rude?" She worriedly said, walking over to the man hunched on the floor. Sure, they were all once enemies, but hey, the dude was sick. And everyone knows that Tifa doesn't hold grudges. She bent over next to Rude, who still was clutching the cement ground. She looked up at Reno.

"What was he smoking?" She commanded an answer, knowing that Reno always played games. She put a reassuring hand on Rude's back, rubbing it slightly.

"Nothing," Reno cockily replied. Reno coolly eyed his best friend hunched over the ground. "You don't see that everyday..." he mumbled, running his hands through his hair, still watching Tifa and Rude on the ground.

"Did he drink something bad?" Tifa asked again, trying to calm herself. Reno made her want to wring her hands around his chicken neck sometimes. She started grinding her teeth.

"Nope," Reno said, just as he did before. He started to whistle some random tune.

"Then what happened?!" She snapped at him. Tifa always had patience, but something in Reno just made her angry. Rude started to make gagging noises again, and he lifted up a hand and grasped Tifa's arm.

"Come on Rude, get it out of your system," Tifa reassuringly said to the man. It was weird to see him like this -- on his knees, his tanned skin looked pale and putrid, his breathe stung Tifa's nostrils. Such a strong man in such a weak position.

Reno started to talk again. "Well, you see, had a lot of mayonnaise..." he laughed at his own idiotic lie. Tifa looked back at Reno, his nostrils flaring.

"What the fuck is wrong with you?" She barked back at him, gawking at the red head who was towering over her squatted body. "The day I start to even remotely understand you will be the day that pigs fly."

"Okay, okay. Can't cha take a joke?" He said, spitting on the cement next to Tifa, taking a deep breath. "Some chick offered him some drink at the bar we were just at, and he stupidly accepted it before making her drink some first. And obviously, it had some type of a drug in it," Reno told Tifa. She sighed, feeling the need to yell at Reno some more.

"Well, you should have been watching him instead of some skanky girl on the dance floor!" She yelled at Reno, looking back down at Rude, who was starting to stop the crazy antics of his stomach acid.

"Did I ask for your opinion, Lockheart?" Reno replied, taking a cigarette out of his jacket pocket, and lit one, the tarry smell made Tifa cough.

"No but --" Tifa started to retaliate, helping Rude stand up, his knees slightly buckling. Tifa put Rude's arm around her shoulder so he'd have some support.

"Thank you," Rude muttered, obviously embarrassed that the girl he used to like had to help him walk, when she was half the size of him.

"So then don't tell me what I already know," Reno said, throwing the half burned cigarette on the street, stepping on it to put it out. He sighed deeply, "We need to take him back to my apartment I guess, it's much closer than his." Reno walked over and put Rude's other arm around his own shoulder, and then the two lifting the big guy off of the ground. Rude's feet skidded against the sidewalk and they walked down the dark ally, turning out of it.

"What bar were you guys at?" Tifa said, breaking the icy silence that surrounded them like a cloud. A big, heavy could that didn't want to be broken.

Rude started to let out muffled laughs. Tifa smirked as she looked into Reno's deep emerald eyes. _'They're so pretty,'_ Tifa thought to herself, forgetting who she was thinking about. But she wasn't the only one who was losing track of who someone else was.

Reno found himself smiling, like an open wound, his eyes locking onto Tifa's. But figures, the two are both very stupid, and they look away. They weren't watching where they were walking, and Reno tripped over a crate laying on the dark sidewalk, sending the trio onto the hard cement.

"Fuck," Reno muttered, rubbing the back of his head that hit the ground. Tifa looked at Rude, who was still a bit intoxicated, laughing at Reno and Tifa. Tifa crossed her arms.

"You're so stupid," she told Reno, standing up and helping Rude up, who still was weak from up chucking his insides. Reno stood up as well, cursing Tifa under his breathe. He didn't look at Tifa, which was good for her because she was blushing pink all over her face. They walked down another few streets in the awkward cloud of silence, Tifa and Reno both too stubborn to talk, until...

"We're at my apartment," Reno hazily said, stopping his foot steps in front of a black, iron cast door. Tifa looked through the door. It was placed at the bottom of a staircase, and to the right of another white door. Tifa sighed.

"I'm guessing we have to go up the stairs?" She groaned, turning her attention to Reno. She was exhausted to begin with, since she left her work about an hour ago. Tifa looked up the staircase that looked like it never ended as Reno let go of Rude, unlocking the iron door.

"Yup," he replied, opening the door, motioning for Tifa to bring over Rude. Tifa was a strong girl, but Rude was a big guy. Tifa sighed as she carried Rude along, and when she got close enough to him, Reno held onto the guy too, carrying him up the first few steps and then through the doorway.

"I have an idea," Reno said, stopping at the bottom of the large staircase set out before them.

"What?" Tifa said, taking in a deep breath.

"You carry Rude up the stairs, or well, his upper body, because obviously the stairs are not wide enough to have the three of us in a line or whatever," he scratched his head, "and then I walk behind you, carrying Rude's legs?" Tifa sighed, nodding and agreeing with him. Tifa started to head up the stairs, wishing she was in her cozy bed, drifting off to the sounds of her TV set.

Reno grabbed the feet of his best friend, Rude practically unconscious. He stared at Tifa's butt as she walked up the stairs, spunk in every step she took. Reno smirked. "Hey Tifa?"

"Yeah?" Tifa called from a few steps up, but it seemed like a million. Tifa was at the top step, on the landing. She was slightly out of breathe, but she didn't mind too much. She liked to help people.

"Nice ass," Reno said back, holding the mans feet with one hand, digging into his pock to find his house keys. He tossed them at Tifa, and she caught out of her arms linked with Reno's. The back of her head was facing the back of his, she kinda wished that she was Rude right now. He didn't have to do anything for the past hour, just throw up and a free ticket to a place to sleep. Tifa unlocked the door, rolling her eyes at the slanderous statement, and then got a better grip on Rude, carrying him into the unfamiliar apartment.

Reno quickly followed behind her, "Make a right, and go into the first door on your left." Tifa did what she was told, looking around at the wooden walls that haven't been painted. She walked into the small, stuffy room without windows, and threw Rude on the bed in there, and felt like the world was lifted off of her shoulders. Tifa thought that she could fall asleep right then and there. She turned around to head out of room, but ran into the hard chest of Reno.

"Toots, I know I'm a babe magnet, but this is getting ridiculous," Reno said, looking down into the angered eyes of Tifa.

"Reno, I swear to god. If I wasn't to tired--" Tifa started to stay, her eyes shooting daggers at Reno's cocky smirk.

"You're tired? Just crash here," Reno said, walking out of the room, taking off his shirt as he did, throwing it in a pile in outside of the doorway. He walked out of the hallway into another part of the house, obviously not wanting to play whatever game Tifa wanted to start.

"...Sleep here?" She said to herself, crossing her arms and considering the idea as she looked at the slumbering body of Rude, who was sucking on his thumb slightly. Tifa sighed. Her apartment was really far from here, and he did seem to have a few extra rooms. She wandered out of the room, trying to find Reno.

"Reno?" She called, walking into the kitchen area. He wasn't there. She walked into the bathroom, he wasn't there either. Tifa walked around a bit longer, looking for him. The only room she hadn't checked was the main bedroom. Would she dare go in there? God knows what the hell could be going on. Knowing Reno, there have probably been a hundred or more different girls in this apartment for his various one night stands, maybe even a few prostitutes on his off nights.

Tifa held her breathe as she walked into Reno's cold room. His whole apartment was cold. Reno stood there, shirtless, his lean and muscular stomach. He was standing in front of the tall mirror in his room, feeling the multiple scars over his torso. Reno didn't notice her come in. But the emotion on her face would have made Reno laugh.

"Reno..." She said, walking over to him, frowning. He looked at her from the mirror.

"Tifa," He replied, more of an acknowledgement of her being there than anything else. He kept tracing his thin fingers over his scars. Slashings, gun wounds, stabbings. Tifa eyed him. Reno looked at her straightly for the first time the whole night, and he actually saw her for who she was. The silky brown hair that embraced her hips, her wide, brown curious eyes... her huge boobs. Reno shook his head, turning to face her.

"I think I'm going to take you up on that offer," Tifa smiled, crossing her arms. She'd gotten past the whole "shirtless hot man" thing.

"Sleep where you please, my home is your home," He said, turning his back to her again, his face almost looked like he was blushing.

"I don't want to intrude," Tifa replied, standing in the same position.

"If I didn't want you hear, I would have kicked you out already."

"But--"

"Don't worry about it, okay? You worry too much. Calm down."

"And how would you know I worry too much?" Tifa was getting agitated.

"For one, you're close with Cloud. That is enough to make anyone go crazy, turn them into the walking dead or something." He still looked at her from the mirror. He reached over to the dresser next to the mirror and took off some spray deodorant, and put some on, filling the air with scents of spearmint. Rain started to tap on the window of his bedroom and the roof. It sounded like leprechauns were tap dancing on the roof.

The tiredness in Tifa's head was trapping her, making her whole body sore with every time she filled her lungs. "Don't talk to me about cloud, please?" She sincerely said, she ran her hands delicately through her hair, yawning.

"Go you sleep," Reno said, turning around and walking out of the room. "I'm going to sleep in the den, gonna fall asleep watching some porn," he joked. Was he joking? Tifa didn't pick up on his humor, she was in a daze. Her voice started to become raspy.

"Thanks again, Reno," She muttered, tiredly turning off the lights in Reno's room and crawling into his bed.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer:** I don't own these characters. Sept Lora. She's randomized, and not important.  
**Other:** Sorry if the whole 'Gay Bar' thing seems outta place. I just watched Party Monster. I promise it'll only happen once.

* * *

The next morning, Tifa woke up to yells of a woman and Reno.

"You know what! I'm so sick of this!" The woman shouted, muffled through the apartments thick walls. Tifa yawned, crawling out of the bed she had fallen asleep last night in. She forgot where she was for a second, until she saw Rude come into the room watching her as she made the bed she slept in. The gray blanket was tightly stretched across the large bed.

"They're fighting over you, you know," Rude said, leaning in the doorway. He was in boxers and a white wife beater, which was weird to see him in, because Tifa had only seen him in the infamous suit.

I turned and looked at Rude. My hair was probably a mess, my clothes probably totally in the wrong places, my eyes probably looked hazy. I didn't care. "_Me_? They're fighting over me? Why?" I said, finding it hard to believe that a little thing like staying the night at an old acquaintance's house could cause trouble for Reno.

"Lora, Reno's girlfriend, is getting sick of Reno having girls over but not having an explanation. She's sick of him never calling her, and that's not good. She's his boss..." Rude said, walking away from the doorway. Tifa stood there shocked that anyone would think that she'd be the mistress of anyone, especially someone as grimy as Reno. I wanted to see this for myself, so I headed out of the room, going to where the yelling was coming from, which was the den. I walked in the large frame that was a doorway, and all of a sudden the yelling stopped.

"See! We didn't even sleep in the same bed!" Reno said, breaking the silence. His girlfriend was still gawking at me, like she was reading me like a book. "I swear, this time I'm not lying! Everyone fucking thinks that I'm this... perverse womanizer who hits on anything that has tits!" He yelled at the girl, his arms flailing out. His eyes looked like they were filled with hate.

The girl started at him through her long blonde bangs. "Oh, so before you were always lying? Cool. Real cool, Reno. But then again, what else would I expect from _someone like you,_" she hissed back at him, her words stinging him. Tifa cringed.

"Hey, uh, I can explain," she started to say, budding into the conversation.

In unison, this woman and Reno snapped back at her, "Shut up!" Tifa jumped back a step.

"I don't get it, Reno, I buy this apartment for you, I promote you, and yet you cheat on me?"

"But you're not listening to me, Lora, fucking hell."

"Okay, well, I don't want to hear."

"You're ridiculous!"

"I don't want to deal with this, this is just OVER! It's all over, Reno, I'm sick and tired of putting up with whatever you throw at me!" And with that, the blonde stomped out of his apartment, slamming the door behind her and angrily walking down the steps. Reno leaned against the wall behind him, sliding down it. He rubbed his temples in his hands.

"I didn't even tell her that I loved her," he muttered, running his hands through his hair. "And now I'm probably fired..." Tifa walked over to him, sitting on the ground next to him.

"This is my fault, I'm sorry..." Tifa tried to look Reno straight in the eyes, but he wouldn't. He turned his head to the side, looking off in the room, biting his lip. His face started to grow with a pink grow, and his eyes filled with water.

_'Don't cry,_' he thought, _'Men don't cry. This is retarded, I've never cheated on her. This is..._'

"Reno?" Rude said, walking into the room, eating a bowl of cereal sloppily. The sight was funny to Tifa. She smiled.

"Sorry," she warmly said. "I'll leave." Tifa stood up, and was Reno grabbed her wrist, Tifa eyed his hands on her body.

"Don't. It's not your fault," Reno said, sighing. Muffling noises started to emerge from his throat. He wiped his eyes, and Tifa looked down at him, and sat, her back leaning on the wall next to him.

"Reno, obviously whoever that was, she's not really worth it," Tifa said, unsure of what to say. She looked up at Rude, and he shrugged.

"Reno," His deep voice boomed as he sat on the other side of Reno, eating his Captain Crunch, "You know why you first even got involved with Lora. Wouldn't this be good riddance?"

"I'm not even fucking upset about that," Reno said, getting angry rather then letting himself cry. "I'm sick of every single girl just thinking that I want in their pants, that I cheat. Rude, c'mon, you know I don't do any of that shit anymore. It's immature," He said, gaining back his regular tone. "But you're right, she wasn't anything to get upset over."

Tifa didn't believe him, but she sat there as a stressed Reno gained back his self control. Reno stood up. "I'm going to take a shower." He started walking out of the room, taking off the pants he wore to sleep, his boxers sliding off slightly as well as he started to go out of Tifa's view. Tifa blushed at the exposed Reno, groaning.

"Does he _always_ do that?" She turned to Rude.

"Yup," he answered back, getting up and walking into the kitchen, getting more cereal.

Around 4 o' clock when Tifa left without telling anyone, she left a note and some money thanking Reno for letting her stay, telling them she left to go home and get ready for work. Reno was almost sad as he read the note. Tifa and him did collide heads, but she was good company.

Better company than most people would expect.

Reno wanted to find where she worked.

Tifa was halfway through her job shift, giving drinks and collecting money for practically the whole night life of the town because where she worked, tonight was ladies night. Girls get one drink free or equal or more value than the one that they bought, which meant that girls were buying hard drinks for all of the men, and the men were staring at the girls breasts as they danced. Tifa sighed, pouring out the liquor for a customer when a red headed man caught her eye.

Where Tifa worked now, it wasn't like Seventh Heaven. This place was all night, techno, Madonna, trannies, club kids. You named it, it was there. Bright lights, bright make up, Reno blended it in more than green on green. Everyone there blended in. You could be a middle aged man, balding and over weight, but you'd blend there. At that bar, or well, club, you could be whatever you wanted to me. That's why it was called "Imaginary".

But apparently, Reno didn't know that he was blended in. Between the people dancing, probably all on ecstasy, Reno crawled over to the bar. Tifa started to giggle as a group of gay men eyed the cocky red head, who obviously just wanted out of this place.

"Tifa," Reno said, saluting her as he sat down on a bar stool that said "C" on it, and the rest down all said "A" "N" "D" "Y" all over again. The bright pink counter was almost blinding in the contrast of the baby blue walls, which of course had lime green stripes on it.

Tifa just laughed some more as Reno stared at the people around him.

A woman with an adam's apple called over Tifa, and told her that he wanted to buy a drink for the 'Fiery man over there, with the goggles and the cocky smile'. Tifa just laughed, smiling as she took the money, making a simple passion fruit martini and handing it to Reno.

"Sheila wants me to give that to you," Tifa said, leaning over the bar and pointing at the man dressed as a woman, with all of his men dressed as women friends. They all waved, but Reno just gawked at them.

"Reno!" she yelled in a slight whisper, "Just drink it. It's free." Reno sighed, waving back at the now squealing trannies, gulping down the drink.

"Yeah, so I came for a reason," Reno said, pushing forward the drink.

"And that reason is?" The bass on the booming music was making the whole place shake.

"To give you this," Reno said, reaching into his pocket, and pulling out the gil that Tifa left when she left.

Tifa pushed it back at him, "It's the least I can do. I feel totally guilty for what happened between you and... uhhh..."

"Lora. Her name was Lora. Honestly, I only started screw-- dating her because she was my boss. I guess I can understand why all girls think I'm slimy."

"You're not slimy, Reno," Tifa, looking the man in his teal eyes. In his, she almost saw herself. Not just her reflection, but her as a person. Both of them _did_ have pasts that are regretful and painful. But this sensation that she got in her stomach was too much, so she broke it.

"Where's Rude?" She asked, running her hands through her hair.

"Rude is looking at getting him and I new jobs with this group called Sako," Reno replied, angsty. He hated small talk. It was like the gift wrapping on a Christmas present. He wanted it over with. "Okay, well, obviously, you know that I didn't just come here to give you money," Reno said, cutting Tifa off with whatever she was saying.

"You didn't? That's the first I've thought of it," She replied, a warm smile was placed on her luscious, pale lips. The girl had skin like porcelain. Her dark hair made a beautiful contrast to her cream colored skin, and her chocolate, big almond shaped eyes gave her such an innocent appearance, filled with curiosity and emotion.

"You know me, I like to cut to the chase," Reno said.

"So then why did you come here?"

"I wanted to see you."

"Why me?" Tifa made a cautious face at him, but it was offensive to him.

"What? Do I need a permit or somethin'?"

"No, you don't." She bluntly said, walking over to a man who wanted a drink. Reno sighed, wishing that he was gulping down some 160 Proof rum. Tifa walked over to him.

"Why did you want to see me again?" She asked, playing around with the empty martini glass in her hand.

Reno shrugged. "Why, what's wrong, Lockheart, can't we just play nice?" He felt the jerk part of him radiating off of his body.

"What am I, six? I don't play with dolls, Reno," She sighed.

"So you admit, I'm a doll?"

Tifa laughed, "I've always seen you as more of an action figure."

"Good. At least I don't have to wear dresses."

"That'd be a sight."

"Let me tell you, it is a sight. Rude in a dress is even funnier."

"Why were you wearing dresses?"

"It was a long day at work. Getting hammered was our top mission."

"Oh, okay Reno. 'Cause it's totally cool to wear women's clothing..."

"I know what you're thinking. No, I didn't take pictures, 'cause I know you wanna see my legs in a miniskirt."

"Oh, of _course_! Who wouldn't?"

And their talking continued all through the night.


End file.
